Holiday Traditions- You choose! Ah the holidays. Families and friends begin the rituals of making their holidays cheery and bright. For many people this means fulfilling traditions that have been handed down from year to year. And not just at Christmas time, but every holiday. Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays, Halloween, and the 4th of July.
Being that this is the winter season, I recall when my kids were young doing the same traditions every year for no other reason than because that is the way we always did it. We always opened gifts on Christmas Eve. We always had clam chowder for our dinner on Christmas Eve and ham on Christmas Day. I always sent out cards, baked cookies, bought gifts, decorated the tree and the house. I wonder in what ways did these traditions contribute to our celebration of the season. I do know that many of the traditions often brought on a lot of stress as I tried each year to figure out how to fit all of the activity into my hectic schedule. If I allowed myself the option to forego something, I would feel guilty for not celebrating enough and that perhaps someone would think ill of me. Certainly, some of these traditions had the potential to bring joy and fun to the holidays if I could do them in the spirit of joy. My lesson about traditions came to me when...
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 This article provides techniques that parents can use to figure out why they are fatigued and treat the root causes while caring for their special needs child.
As the parent of a special needs child, you feel like your plate is always full. After years of doing everything you can to support your child, you’re exhausted - and you still don’t feel like you can take a break. But taking care of yourself allows you to become a truly empowered parent and set a better example for your child. Resources from Be You Parenting can help you make choices that support your overall wellbeing. In addition, these practical tips will help you come up with self-care strategies for preventing and treating fatigue.  Developing intimate and joyful relationships is key to building family wholeness. Developing loving and kind relationships is something most parents want for their children. Parents who continue to work on their own relationship-awareness demonstrate that each person continues to grow and evolve through self-discovery.
A parent can unknowingly project their own hurts and experiences of their past relationships onto their kids which in turn can cause some unhealthy behaviors and experiences for them as they move into developing relationships. A father that I encountered had developed a belief that women couldn’t be trusted based on his relationship with his ex-wife. He held onto that for years, and shared that belief with his son who in turn didn’t trust women and had all kinds of difficulties in school. Thus it is vital that parents who want to raise their children to have meaningful relationships, be aware of what past beliefs, hurts, doubts and fears they may be passing onto the next generation.  Many children are returning to school this fall with the mandate to wear a mask. What a wonderful opportunity to empower yourself and your child.
Regardless of your opinions regarding masks, you can model for your child the power you each have over how you respond to such mandates. To be empowered, we must remember that the key for success is to keep our vibrations high. We do that by choosing thoughts and words that lift our spirits and those around us. You can help your child understand the difference in vibration by checking in with how it feels when you complain, pout, be angry, feel hopeless. How does it feel when you laugh, focus on what is fun, be grateful, sing and dance? Ask them to notice how being in a low vibration affects those around them. How does being in a high vibration affect those around them? Who do you prefer to share time with - someone vibrating with high or low energy? This will bring more awareness to the power we have to change things for the better. Thoughts of gratitude and appreciation for being able to return to school, enjoy friends, be healthy, etc. raise our vibration. Life is meant to be enjoyed- how much fun can we have with our masks? A different one for each day of the week, favorite colors, designs, etc. Involve your child in making it more enjoyable. When we find joy in living, our vibration goes up. Your child will learn from you, so be the model of high vibration - bringing joy, possibility, kindness, compassion, love and peace as your response. When we respond this way, we are empowered to make a difference for the better. We have made it through the first half of 2021. Many of us did not know what this year would bring and we may have been a bit apprehensive after the events of 2020. But here we are and the first 6 months are over.
I would like to ask you some questions:  Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay If you were raised in a religious home, you probably are well familiar with the commandment, “Honor your father and your mother.” I wonder how much we understood what the word HONOR meant. Could it be that this commandment was used to override any thoughts or feelings that we as children had?
 May Greetings!
It is feeling a lot more like Spring, as nature comes to life with color a pizzazz! Nature shows us how life can be so grand when everything is in balance- just the right amount of sunshine, water, clean air, and space can make all the difference for a thriving world of nature. And so too, for us. Submitted by Guest Writer- Gabrielle Gardiner  It’s no secret that prioritizing your mindfulness is much easier when you have a dedicated space for meditation. Especially when you have a busy household, it’s a relief to have a designated area where anyone in the family can go to recharge their batteries. These days, there’s never been a better time to make a peaceful oasis in the form of an indoor meditation hideaway. Whether you choose to renovate a spare bedroom, corner of your basement, or even a closet, you will still be glad you have a cozy place for quieting your mind. Below are five great ways to get started crafting a meditation space for you and your family to enjoy.  End Boredom with the Choice Game
During the summer many parents are confronted with how to keep their kids from saying, “I’m bored.” Here is a game that you can use that will actually empower your kids to create possibilities that will begin to create more possibilities for what works for them. Turn boredom into fun and excitement! Empowering kids to create choices need not be difficult. As a matter of fact it can become a fun game I like to call the Choice Game.  Are You Caught in a Parent Trap?
If so you are not alone. As I reflect on my early parenting years, I didn't even realize the trap that I had set for myself through the role of parenting. I had no idea that in the process I would lose myself. I took on the responsibility of everyone's happiness in my family. And when things didn't go the happy way, whose fault was it? Yep- mine. The funny thing is that the more I tried to make everyone happy, the more unhappy our family became. We encountered money problems, control issues, marital struggles, alcoholism, and so much more pain and suffering. What went wrong? Even in the midst of all of that I could not see how I had set my own trap. I certainly felt trapped. And what I didn't realize was I was the only one who could release the trap and set myself free until "tragedy" struck and it became a matter of life and death that I took the action to begin to set myself free. |
Mary Dravis-ParrishMary shares her desire to create different possibilities for families and individuals who are looking to live a more conscious and aware lifestyle. BE YOU Parenting is for parents who want to BE all that they truly BE and to allow their kids the same privilege. Archives
April 2022
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